UFZ EnergyDays

UFZ EnergyDay 2020
Energiewende in Zeiten der Krisen


Am 5. Oktober fand der UFZ EnergyDay 2020 unter dem Thema

"Energiewende in Zeiten der Krisen"

als virtuelle Veranstaltung statt. Expert:innen aus Politik, Wirtschaft, Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft lieferten eine Bestandsaufnahme der Energiewende – von global bis lokal – und diskutierten mit den mehr als 100 registrierten Teilnehmer:innen die Möglichkeiten ihrer weiteren Gestaltung - mit einem besonderen Blick auf den Freistaat Sachsen und die mitteldeutsche Region.

Das Programm und eine Zusammenfassung des UFZ EnergyDay 2020 finden Sie hier:


Hier können Sie die Foliensätze zu ausgewählten Vorträgen herunterladen:


Für Rückfragen zum UFZ EnergyDay 2020 wenden Sie sich bitte an: Christoph.Schroeter-Schlaack@ufz.de


Informationen zum Integrierten Projekt Energy Land Use des UFZ finden Sie hier:

Bisherige Veranstaltungen

UFZ ED 2016 Diese Liste gibt einen Überblick über die vom Integrierten Projekt Raumwirksamkeit der Energiewende bisher organisierten Aktivitäten. Parallel dazu finden die UFZ EnergyLandUse Lectures statt.

UFZ EnergyDays 2017

The UFZ EnergyDays 2017 took place on 15/16 March and gathered over 130 participants – scientists, stakeholders and representatives of the authorities – to discuss topical technological and socio-environmental implications of producing and using renewable resources for energy and material supply.

Inspiring keynotes were given by Uwe Leprich, head of Climate Protection and Energy at The Federal Environment Agency and Boris Schucht, CEO from 50 Hertz, one of the leading German transmission system operators. 

Leprich_Thrän_Schucht
Panel discussion on Energy Systems 2013 – Transformation completed? with from left to right: Uwe Leprich (UBA), Daniela Thrän (UFZ, Speaker of IP EnergyLandUse) and Boris Schucht (50 Hertz)
K. Frank (UFZ)
Opening overview given by former speaker of UFZ Integrated Project IP EnergyLandUse, Karin Frank (UFZ)



Within 5 workshop sessions spread over the two days, 25 presentations were given and vividly discussed.

Workshop Impression
Introduction to one of 5 workshop sessions…

Learn more about the UFZ EnergyDays 2017:

22-23 March 2016, KUBUS Leipzig

Again in 2016 the UFZ Integrated Project "EnergyLandUse – Land Use Aspects of Transforming the Energy System" organised and hosted the UFZ EnergyDays, pooling energy related work at the UFZ within the Helmholtz research programmes "Terrestrial Environment", "Renewable Energies", and "Technology, Innovation and Society".

Plenary These two day meetings provide a platform to discuss challenges and recent progress in research on renewable energies and on the transition towards decarbonisation and bioeconomy. Technological solutions and socio-environmental implications of using renewable resources for energy and material supply in circular economies are adressed. In an interdisciplinary context and including a spatially explicit approach, technological and institutional options are looked at in their systemic interplay to foster sustainability.

More than 160 registrations beforehand and around 30 people showing up spontaneously proved the growing interest in the UFZ EnergyDays and the importance of the presented issues.

The opening keynote by Harry Lehmann from UBA (German Federal Environmental Agency) on "COP 21 and a move towards greenhouse gas neutral societies" set out the terms of reference for energy transition and circular economies.

In a virtual guided tour to UFZ Environmental Research the plenary learned about

  • the variety of parameters environmental energy research has to deal with (e. g. spatiality, economics, governance, alternative resources, process optimization, monitoring, scaling, societal attitudes, ...), and
  • the integrative approach the energy transition asks for and the UFZ Environmental Energy Research adopts.

Discussions All of this was exemplified by current results and achievements across field boundaries and disciplines.

In the second part of the EnergyDays, 34 presentations on various, thematically grouped topics were given by experts from inside and outside the UFZ. They set the frame for exchange about technological solutions and socio-environmental implications of using renewable resources for energy and material supply in circular economies.

Working groups In working groups, specific topical challenges were discussed with experts and aligned with what has been achieved, to encourage and strengthen networks and cross-linking - in-house as well as with external cooperation partners from different scientific and other institutions.

Abstract book

Flyer with programme

24-25 February 2015

From 24 to 25 February 2015, the IP EnergyLandUse organised the "UFZ EnergyDays" as a platform to discuss cutting-edge research on the energy transition. More than 120 participants from UFZ and other research organisations, from private companies and the authorities attended the workshop. The two-day event targeted at the socio-environmental implications of producing, distributing and storing renewable energies. Special emphasize was put on a spatially explicit perspective to account for above- and below-ground impacts of the energy transition and on the constraint of land as a limited resource.


Session B1: Sociology of the subterranean - Perception and framing of subsoil energy technologies Packed sessions in parallel, here on "Perception and framing of subsoil energy technologies". Starting with a stimulating keynote-lecture by Prof. Patrik Söderholm from Luleå University of Technology, scientific input and vivid discussions continued thoughout both days within parallel sessions, each of them hosting several expert talks.


Poster session Over 25 young scientists contributed their research perspective and results with scientific posters that stimulated discussions during lunch time.


Panel discussion Panel discussion with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Daniela Thrän, Prof. Patrik Söderholm, Dr. habil. Birgit Daus, Prof. Dr. Karin Frank, Dr. Alberto Bezama (from left to right). The lines of discussion were brought together in a final panel discussion.

For further details regarding the UFZ EnergyDays 2015, download the detailed programme and the book of abstracts .

Biomass for energy - lessons from the Bioenergy Boom

November 2014

More than 100 participants from 25 countries around the world spent two days in Leipzig enjoying the extensive scientific programme of the Workshop "Biomass for energy - lessons from the Bioenergy Boom" (24 to 25 November 2014).

In six engaging sessions, 25 distinguished international experts presented their latest research findings. Many lively discussions were held, both in the sessions and out, regarding cutting edge developments in modelling and understanding the interactions among bioenergy production, the environment and society. Aspects discussed ranged from the impacts of bioenergy crops on water bodies, soils and biodiversity, to impacts and challenges in the political, legal and societal fields, as well as to the challenges in the system integration and in the evaluation of potential environmental impacts at a regional scale.

Workshop participants group picture One general outcome from the expert discussions was that in most cases, there was a high degree of site dependency relating to the applied management practice and associated environmental effects. In general, there is no “one solution fits all”. Another observation was that critical points along the provision chain need more attention – focusing on best practice for main effects, especially from resource provision, i.e. water scarcity in arid regions or soil quality of marginal land. Knowledge transfer and communication for practical implementation was also seen as a critical bottle neck, despite the range of scientific literature and studies outlining potential sustainability options. One of the key reasons for this is related to sustainable management approaches being less economic as conventional intensive systems and therefore, need financial and political support. The extension of sustainability indicators, which already exist for liquid biofuels, to a wider range of biomass was seen as a promising next step.

More results and the presentations can be found at the workshop website. The workshop was part of the UFZ-IP EnergyLandUse and organised by the Department of Bioenergy of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in cooperation with Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum (DBFZ) in Leipzig, Germany.